


We were running riot (crazy that some people still deny it)

by whynotcherries



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drowning, Episode: s03e01 The Heart of the Truest Believer, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Near Death Experiences, The Jolly Roger | The Jewel of the Realm (Once Upon a Time)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27222463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynotcherries/pseuds/whynotcherries
Summary: "He can hardly hear, let alone make out what she’s yelling, clearly trying to gain the attention of their crewmates. After a few seconds, he watches as she looks out to the water, and he can see in her eyes that she’s contemplating doing it-"Or Neal is with the hero brigade from the beginning of their adventure in Neverland and is there for when Emma decides to go for a swim in 3x01.
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Emma Swan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	We were running riot (crazy that some people still deny it)

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii, I'm posting so much more lately I love it! Anyway, this is basically just what the caption says. Let's go with the backstory is everything was the same as in the show, except Neal didn't fall through the portal but instead got medical help and was fine within the same day (super inaccurate, but I need it to work for the plot).

Neal never thought he’d see the day when Emma does something so incredibly stupid. 

He loves her, but _honestly_ , she’s outdone herself this time.

He’s watching everyone fighting; Snow and Regina, David and Hook, as he and Emma work together just to keep the ship on track. It’s a difficult task, even with the two of them, seeing as the water is jerking the ship around.

He hardly suspects that she’d even let go of the wheel, but somehow, she manages to shock him in more than one way. She lets go and walks over to the side of the ship, standing on the wall.

“Emma! Get down from there!” he yells, fighting to keep a hold on the wheel without her by his side.

He can hardly hear, let alone make out what she’s yelling, clearly trying to gain the attention of their crewmates. After a few seconds, he watches as she looks out to the water, and he can see in her eyes that she’s contemplating doing it- 

“Emma, no!” he yells, letting go of the wheel and trying to make it there on time, to pull her back in before she’s off the edge, but she’s out of sight by the time he even reaches where she was.

He hardly registers that she’s gone before he starts panicking, “No, no, no, come on, we have to help her, guys!” he yells, not having realized that they were right behind him- although, it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

He’s reaching for rope before Hook can even think of passing it to David, taking a steady hold on it as David ties it around himself and jumps into the raging waters after Emma.

“He has her! Pull,” he hears just as he watches David appear above water. ‘ _Well, at least he has her_ ’, he thinks, tugging on the rope until they’ve made it close enough to the top of the ship that Snow and Regina can reach Emma, pulling her up as David climbs over the wall. 

He’s behind them, ready to take her and help get her to the ground, checking for her breathing.

He nearly throws up as he puts his hand over her stomach, hoping to feel some sort of rising and falling, _something_ , but is met with stillness.

“No,” he mumbles, scrambling a little bit to grab onto her tighter, “c’mon, Em,” he breathes, putting his hand on her chest and shaking her. He wants to scream, he wants to _cry_ , this was not supposed to happen-

She sits up a little on her own, immediately beginning to cough up water.

He puts his hand on her back, helping her sit up before she collapses back into him, looking up at the sky, “I told you,” she struggles to say, leaning back into his arms.

He laughs out of relief, and he hardly hears Hook ask Regina to go get towels from below deck. He holds onto Emma for a solid minute, a little zoned out from reality, just reveling in the feeling of knowing that she’s okay.

“Bae,” he snaps back into reality and looks up at Hook, “you should get her below deck, it’ll be warmer,” he suggests, nodding towards Emma. 

Neal looks down at her, and she looks like she might pass out right then and there. He nods a little, readjusting his hold on her, “You think you can walk?” he asks, putting his hands on her arms and helping her sit up.

She nods, waiting for him to stand before she attempts to follow. He holds his hands out, helping her up and putting a hand on her back as they take the slowest steps he’s ever managed down to the cabins.

He sits her down on one of the bunks- the one he used to sleep on- and unstacks the blankets from the foot of it, wrapping it around her shoulders without saying a word. He rubs her shoulders through it, trying to warm her up. The waters surrounding Neverland weren’t warm when he once fell into them, and unless global warming affects all the realms, he can’t imagine they’ve gained any heat.

He meets her eyes after a minute, glancing up at her as he continues trying to heat her up. “You okay?” he asks, tugging the blanket tighter around her shoulders. She nods, looking away from him.

He nods, “Good,” he mumbles, reaching out to add another blanket around her arms, “now, what were you _thinking_?” he asks, and she looks up to meet his eyes.

“What?” she asks, clearly a little confused that he’s… _mad_ at her?

He takes a step back, standing up straight. He can’t tell exactly where the anger is coming from, but he knows it’s there. “You just jumped into raging storm waters while there was absolutely nobody paying attention, what do you mean ‘what’?” he all but yells.

She looks down, avoiding his eyes and he continues on, “Emma, I thought you were _dead_ \- I thought you were going to die.”

 _There it is_.

He goes back to kneeling in front of her in order to meet her eyes, but she continues staring away from him, “I’m sorry,” she mumbles, playing with some of the pilings on the old blanket he’s got wrapped around her.

He nods, squinting his eyes closed before opening them again, “I’m sorry for yelling, I’m- never again, okay? Never do that again,” he mumbles, sitting beside her, rubbing his face with one of his hands.

She nods beside him before leaning over, reluctantly resting her head on his shoulder, “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry.”

He sighs, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer, “you have to stop almost getting yourself killed when you don’t have to,” he mumbles into her hair, closing his eyes. 

She scoffs, “Yeah, like you’re one to talk.”

“Hey, I didn’t throw myself off of a moving ship in a storm,” he defends.

“No, you just almost voluntarily fell through a portal after being shot,” she retorts, and he chuckles at that, kissing her head.

Afterward, he sits up straight, sighing, “Either way, no more, okay? We’re done with self-sacrifice, at least for tonight,” he decides and she nods, leaning off of him and stretching her back out.

“Sounds good to me,” she agrees, pushing the blankets off of her lap, not visibly cold anymore, “now, let’s go get Henry,” she says, standing and leading the way out of the cabin.


End file.
